Brush holder for sorting machines



Feb. 13, 1934. E. A. FORD BRUSH HOLDER FOR SORTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 24. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 13, 1934. E. A. FORD BRUSH HOLDER FOR SORTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 24, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NGE Patented Feb. 13, 1934 BRUSH HOLDER FOR SORTING MACHINES Eugene A. Ford, Scarsdale, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York 7 Application September 24, 1928 Serial No. 307,823

3 Claims In record controlled accounting and sorting machines perforated record cards, are generally used for controlling the accounting or sorting devices. The data recorded upon the cards are analyzed by an analyzing brush when controlling operation is effected in an electrical Way or by an analyzing pin when mechanical analysis is used.

It is sometimes desirable especially in electrically controlled sorting machines to remove the brush from its'frame for cleaning, readjustment, inspection and so on.

It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide means enabling the quick removal of the analyzing brush from its support and also to fasten the same again quickly and easily.

Another object of the invention is to provide holding means for the analyzing brush removably arranged upon a support.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved electrical connection between a removable holder for the brush and a support for said holder.

A further object of the invention is a new an improved construction of a brush holder and of its coordinated fastening means on a support, enabling removal of the brush holder from the support without the use of tools.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims and illustrated in the drawings which show by Way of example what is now considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention.

While the new device may be used advantageously in electrical sorting machines, it will be understood that the scope of the invention is limited neither to sorting machines nor to the electrical principle.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of the card feeding, analyzing and distributing section of a sorting machine showing an analyzing brush according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a front view of the analyzing mechanism wherein certain parts are broken away.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the analyzing device, and

Fig. 4 is a detail of the support for the analyzing mechanism.

Referring to Fig. 1, reference numeral 3 designates the card stack from which the cards are picked off one by one by the usual card picker 4 which feeds a card through the throat 5 to the transport rolls 2. The picker 4 is moved to and fro in the usual way by means of a lever 1 pivoted upon shaft 6 and moved through connecting link 7 by a disk which is turned by the driving motor. The card passes the analyzing brush 8 adjustable to different card columns and if there is a hole in a certain position of the respective column the analyzing brush will contact with roller 9 and a current impulse will be effected through sorting magnet 10. At this time the leading edge of the card will be under one of a plurality of the sorting blades 11 according to the perforated card position. The armature of magnet 10 forms a plate arranged in the middle of guide plate 12. The fingers of blades 11 rest upon the armature plate and if the magnet is energized the armature plate will drop. Those blades 11 below which the card has been passed will be retained by the card while the remaining plates owing to their own resiliency will follow the armature plate so that the card may be distributed in the proper sorting box. As all these operations are Well known they need not be explained more in detail.

According to the present invention the analyzlng brush is removable from its support and for this purpose the brush is fastened to a brush holder which is removably attached to the support. The brush holder comprises two principal parts, a member 13 consisting of electrical conducting material and an insulating block 14 carrying said member 13. by means of screw 15 to the member 13 which is pivotally mounted on insulating block 14 by means of pin 16, the member 14 being provided with a groove or slot to accommodate the member 13. A spring 1'7 passing on the one hand into a hole in member 13 and on the other hand into a corresponding hole in insulating block 14 tends to turn member 13 in counterclockwise direction thus pressing the analyzing brush 8 against contact roller 9. The position of the brush may be accurately adjusted by means of adjusting screw 18 threaded into a metal insert at the bottom of the groove in member 14 as will be recognized from Figs. 1 and 2.

The support for the anlyzing mechanism consists of carrier 19 which carries the pivotally mounted handle 20. The handle 20 is provided with a threaded piece 21 which is normally held in the lower position as shown in Fig. l by means of spring 22 for cooperation with a worm 23. To secure an accurate adjustment of the brush in a certain column a lip 24 is provided on carrier 19 which cooperates with a toothed cross bar 25. If it is intended to adjust the brush to another column, worm 23 is turned by a handle arranged The brush 8 is fastened i on one end of the worm whereby in consequence of the provision of threaded piece 21 the analyzing mechanism will be moved to a different column. When the handle or worm 23 is turned this worm provides besides its turning movement a lifting movement to permit the lip 24 to disengage the notched bar 25. This mechanism is not of the essence of the present invention and is fully described and claimed in the patent to Kleckler No. 1,741,992, dated December 31, 1929.

A member 26 shown in Fig. 4 is fastened to the carrier 19 and is provided with side plates 31 and 32 having on their upper ends ears and slots as will be seen from the aforesaid figure. For fastening member 26 to carrier 19 in any suitable manner there are provided holes 2'7 in member 26. The insulating block 14 is provided on its upper end with a hole carrying two cylindrical members 28. The members 28 are provided with holes carrying a compression spring 29 tending to push members 28 apart. .The members 28 are provided with heads 29 to permit the members to be pressed toward each other by hand. Stops 30 limit the movement of the cylindrical members 28 in either direction. As will be seen from Fig. 2 the members 28 are provided with conical reduced parts which cooperate with the side plates 31 and 32 of the member 26 the slots of which are provided with conforming conical shapes (see Fig. 4).

The bar 34 extends across the machine and the carrier 19 is provided with a groove coacting therewith to permit the carrier in its several vertical positions to be guided by the bar. The bar 34 also carries a contact rail 33 as will be seen from Figs. 1 and 3. Member 13 carries a contactng plate 35 provided with ears 36 by means of which said plate is pivotally fastened to members 13. Plate 35 is pressed by means of a spring 3'? located in a groove of member 13 against the contacting bar 33 thus providing electrical connection between the analyzing brush and contacting bar 33 which in turn is connected-with sorting magnet 10. When therefore the brush is moved from column to column the plate 35 will slide upon contacting bar 33 thus providing electrical connection in all analyzing positions.

It will be recognized that insulating block 14 carrying member 13 and the anlyzing brush may easily be removed from the carrier 19 and plate 26, when heads 29 are pressed against each other. The brush may then be inspected or a new brush may be inserted and the brush holder may easily be adjusted again to the holder plate 26.

The slots in the side plates 31 and 32 are formed so that the brush when removed from or replaced in the carrier moves in a radial line with respect to the contact roll 9 so that the brush strands will not be injured or spread when the brush is replaced. It-will thus be clear that the invention provides a method of attaching and removing a sorter brush with minimum effort.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore, to be limited only as indicated bythe scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An analyzing mechanism for a record controlled machine comprising a holder having an analyzing brush mounted thereon, a support for said brush holder and means for adjustably mounting said brush holder to said support, a second supporting member for holding said brush 100 holder support comprising a member having pocket-like portions at the-lower edge for receiving the brush holder support and bifurcated projections at the upper end and latching members on the brush holder support adapted to cooperate 105 with said projections to releasably secure said brush holder support to said second supporting member.

2; An analyzing mechanism for a record controlled machine comprising a brush holder having an analyzing brush releasably mounted thereon,

a support for said brush holder having springpressed clips mounted therein, a second supporting member for said brush holder support comprising members adapted to receive said springpressed clips to releasably attach said brush holder support to said second supporting member.

3. An analyzing mechanism for a record controlled machine comprising a brush holder having an analyzing brush releasably mounted thereon, a support for pivotally mounting said brush holder, a second support for releasably holding said brush holder support, a third support along which said second support is adapted to be moved, said second support having means adapted to engage serrations on said third support to align the analyzing brush.

EUGENE A. FORD. 

